Golden Fleece 30

Has anyone fitted new replacement couplings to the Tri-ang DMU motor bogie? Could be tricky with a metal cooling as the side frames are the pick-ups. I have started on an idea and will see what happens or how others have managed. Garry

I know how you feel David. Woman have too many ideas that interrupt our modelling. Garry

Here are some drawings. Garry

I think there is a difference in length between both rebuilt and unrebuilt locos and think (I say think) there is a greater difference on the rebuilt versions. In reality the bogie and driving wheel centres are I think the same, there is about a foot more to the pony truck and a few more inches to the tender on the M/N due to a larger firebox grate area. The unrebuilt M/N's are 2'8" longer. The rebuilt are 4'2" longer with the M/N going from 69'8" to 71'7" when rebuilt. I do have some dimension drawings somewhere and will try to locate them. Garry

Winston Churchill. Although it is a M/N I have taken the liberty to change it's identity to a B of B. The tender, although difficult to see in the photo, has had its raves cut down with a sloping top made to the coal sides and then cut right down to the water tank top. Due to the rebuilding of the tenders the lining out changed to the "standard" rectangle shape with no black base. As I have ran out of left and right hand later crests I have put on a pair of right facing ones, which is correct, but I prefer the forward facing. Being gloss finished (ready for the funeral train) it is hard to read the name so I may end up at a later stage using a satin varnish over it. Garry

I like the 22xx, is it the old BEC kit on an etched chassis? Garry

I know that John but the impressions never used to be far out, certainly not like this one. Garry

I have never seen the bottom photo version with what looks like a taller cab and the different tender lining. Garry

A few must have been a swap then as there has been plenty for sale with the plated wheels. Garry

Due to the predictive text my words were supposed to be LATER on, not late on. I thought the maroon version was made in the early 70's for use in the Midlander set, and possibly as a separate loco. Age is an issue with somethings but I know it ended up with nickel plated wheels. Garry

The 3F tender loco was made for quite a few years initially having the solid driving wheels, then the black iron tyred open spokes until late on in the, 70's getting nickel plated rimmed wheels. Garry

There seems to be a lack of layouts and other projects in TT on this thread, surely there must be plenty around whether it is just plain Tri-ang TT or "finescale 3mm" etc. I have seen the odd Cambrian wagon and part of another layout in these pages but that's all. It would be nice to see what others have or are up to. Has anyone been interested to look at getting any of the TT tank wagon overlays yet? Garry

Those are just the 1957 Tri-ang quoted figures Nigel. I have not measured any apart from the back to backs but may do tomorrow out of curiosity. Garry

You might be thinking of the Gold plated ones, not chrome, that were done for the Kay's catalogue. That was a full set including 3 coaches. I would like to take credit for the loco but unfortunately I cannot, I have no idea who the builder was but I am now very annoyed I missed his Lord Nelson a few months ago. Even the nameplates he made for this were etched brass and not painted, a little out of scale/proportion for TT but far better than the Modelmaster/3SMR ones that you cannot read or have letters missing. Garry

I know it is not much, 0.1, but the 1957 Tri-ang standards state the Back to Back is 10.00mm. Wheel thickness 2.75, Flange thickness 0.5mm, Flange depth 0.75mm Garry

Here is a finished United Dairies tank wagon. I have painted the filler black and used a ladder which both things to me makes the model a lot more appealing. Anyone else made any enquires about the overlays? The unrebuilt W/C has been stripped and is a very nice nickel silver hand made loco. One window bar and tender step need soldering back then a couple of nameplate mounts will be soldered on. At the moment it could be one of two locos. I have cut out the plates for Tavistock which has no shields, but, the ones for Illfracombe look very good. If I can cut them out successfully around the shields then that will be the one with mounting plates to suit. Garry

Although not a diesel the Tri-ang EMU I mentioned is advertised in the March 1957 RM. Garry

I have just been reading in a 1957 RM an article about the new Tri-ang TT system that was ready to be delivered to the shops and it states "Tri-ang TT is here to stay". I wonder what the magazine said 11 years later when it had all gone? I did not know that before Tri-ang brought TT out that Peco and Gem were already making track for the foreign trains imported here. Peco also were responsible for adding the 3 to TT to denote the difference between the UK scale of 3mm and other TT ones at 2.5mm scale. In fact they had a photo of a 4F and couple of wagons made by hand to 2.5scale with S. C. Pritchard being involved. The demonstration layout Peco built to "advertise" the new system had a Rokal German Pacific at the head of the suburbans as Tri-ang only had the Jinty available, the Castle was coming later in the year. Garry

There are a handful of TT layouts built and shown from the TT catalogues by Eric Large, Alex Garfield, Roy Savage and I think I have seen photos of a 00 one on a website. My recently just finished TT layout is based on a 1958 design but not Tri-ang's track plan but using Tri-ang 1957 track. Garry

The Tri-ang EMU I think was before those. Garry

Robin, The late crests came out after the original Princess's so Tri-ang could not have introduced them instead off, at the initial time of them being sold. Garry

I use Hycote satin black which is very similar to the Dublo originals. Then the same as Ray its Railmatch satin or gloss varnish depending what I am doing. I also use Hycote Brooklands green for a Dublo passenger livery. Garry

Thanks John. Regards Garry

John, the main transfers I use are loco cab side numbers and loco lining which I cannot see on the site along with the tender crests. The tender crests seem to be in 7mm scale. Have I missed them or are you looking at doing them later? Garry

Pressfix were cut out with a tissue on top, the transfer pressed onto the body then the tissue was wetted. This was then slid or lifted off the transfer. Rub on types were on thin plastic sheet that you rubbed over the image required with a pencil to press it onto the model. Garry